Acquisition of a Vibration Sample Magnetometer

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9704246 Xiao This award provides support for the acquisition of a state-of-the- art vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM) to be shared by a number of complementary and interdisciplinary research programs in the area of novel magnetic materials in the Departments of Physics and Astronomy and Chemistry and Biochemistry at the University of Delaware. The instrument will provide sensitivity at the level of 10-6 emu for DC measurements in fields to 90 kOe and temperatures between 4 K and 1000 K, and sensitivity at the level of about 10- 7 emu for AC measurements in fields to 100 Oe. Current research programs that will immediately benefit from access to such a facility include: l) studies of spin polarized transport in trilayer tunneling junctions, 2) studies of magnetostriction in nanostructured materials, 3) studies of permanent magnets and small magnetic particles, and 4) studies of the magnetic properties of novel ferromagnetic aerogels and magnetic aerogel- based nanocomposites. %%% These programs address issues of importance from the standpoint of fundamental materials physics and chemistry, as well as potential device applications. In all these studies, a high sensitivity, variable frequency VSM magnetometer with high and low field measurement capabilities at high and low temperatures is imperative. The VSM proposed here represents the most cost effective way to accomplish the widest possible range of research objectives. The University of Delaware will provide a 50% cost sharing. The moderate investment by NSF will have a major impact on our research and benefit a large number of students. *** 2